Saturday, April 13, 2013

Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on
the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil
fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers,
and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification
organizations verify that organic producers use only methods and materials
allowed in organic production. Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic
and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In addition, federal
regulations prohibit the use of genetically engineered seed for organic
farming. All cotton sold as organic in the United States must meet strict
federal regulations covering how the cotton is grown.

Organic cotton is generally
understood as cotton from
non genetically
modified plants, that is to be grown without the use of any
synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides. In
the United States cotton plantations must also meet the requirements enforced
by the National Organic Program (NOP), from the USDA, in order to be considered
organic. This institution determines the allowed practices for pest control,
growing, fertilizing, and handling of organic crops.As of 2007, 265,517 bales
of organic cotton were produced in 24 countries and worldwide production was
growing at a rate of more than 50% per year.

Ecological footprint

Cotton covers 55% of the
world's cultivated land yet uses 75% of the world's insecticides, more than any
other single major crop.Other environmental consequences of the elevated use
of chemicals in the non organic cotton growing methods consist of:

·High levels of agrochemicals
are used in the production of non-organic, conventional cotton. Conventional farming devours roughly a third of a lb of pesticides & fertilizers to produce enough for just 1 t shirt .

·Cotton production uses
more chemicals per unit area than any other crop and accounts in total for
10-16% of the world's pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and
defoliants).

·Pesticides, the nine
most common are highly toxic; five are probable carcinogens.

·GMO used in 70% of US
grown cotton. That requires intense irrigation . Chemicals used in the
processing of cotton pollute the air and surface waters.

·Residual chemicals may
irritate consumers' skin.

·Decreased biodiversity
and shifting equilibrium of ecosystems due to the use of pesticides.

Organic
system plan

Producers must elaborate an organic
production or handling system plan which must also be approved by the state
certifying agency or the USDA. This plan must include careful explanation of
every process held in the plantation, as well as the frequency with which they
are performed. A list of substances used on the crops is also necessary, along
with a description of their composition, place where they will be used, and if
possible documentation of commercial availability. This inventory of substances
is important for the regulation of allowed and

prohibited material established
by the SOP.Organic cotton growers must also provide A description of the
control procedures and physical barriers established to prevent contact of
organic and non organic crops on split operations and to avoid contact of
organic production with prohibited substance during gestation, harvesting, and
handling operations . This production plan can also be transferred to
other states as long as it has already been approved by a certifying agency.

Production

Production requirements are specifically the
set of changes that must be made to field and farming practices in order for a
crop to be considered organic. To begin with, organic fields must go through a
cleansing period of three years, without the use of any prohibited substances,
before planting the first organic crop. Fields must also be equipped with
physical barriers and buzzers in order to prevent contact of organic crops with
any chemical substance product of surface runoff from
crops nearby. Producers must also strive to promote soil fertility through
cultivation practices while maintaining or improving the physical, chemical,
and biological condition of the soil and minimizes soil erosion. Organic
growers must also implement practices to support biodiversity. Such practices
include integrated pest management (IPM), which consists of the manipulation of
ecosystems that benefit both the crops and the organisms that live around it.
In addition to these practices, producers may only apply crop nutrients and
soil amendments included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed
in crop production.

Handling

Handling procedures are all the processes
related to product packaging, pest control in handling processing facilities
among others. The SOP allows the use of mechanical or

biological methods for
the purpose of retarding spoilage of products, but at the same time it
prohibits the use of volatile synthetic solvents in processed products or any
ingredient that is labeled as organic.

Pesticides

Since organic cotton is grown without the use
of synthetic pesticides, it should contain fewer pesticides than conventional
cotton. Pesticides used in the production of conventional cotton include orthophosphates such
as phorate and methamidophos, endosulfan (highly
toxic to farmers,] but not
very environmentally persistent) and aldicarb. Other
pesticides persisting in cotton fields in the United States include Trifluralin, Toxaphene and DDT .Although the last two chemicals are no
longer used in the United States their long breakdown period and
difficulty in removal ensures their persistence. Thus even organic cotton
fields may contain them since conventional cotton fields can be transitioned to
organic fields in 2–3 years.

Over time though, studies have been done to
find alternatives to conventional pesticide substances. These nonconventional
farmers have given up their land and its yields to the testing of different,
more organic ways of pest control. Organic farmers argue that conventional
farmers don’t know the long term effects of the pesticides they use, especially
when the evidence is hidden under the soil. Some farmers in the US use
composted tea leaves to act as a substitute for pesticides. Research
continues to seek new environmentally, friendly ways to rid the soil of harmful
pesticides. There has even been a study on using certain animal manure, like
chickens, to decrease pest population.

How is the apparel
industry involved with organic cotton?Apparel
companies are developing programs that either use 100 percent organically grown
cotton, or blend small percentages of organic cotton with conventional cotton
in their products. There are a number of companies driving the expanded use of
domestic and international organic cotton.

What kinds of
products are made using organic cotton? As
a result of consumer interest, organic cotton fiber is used in everything from
personal care

items (sanitary products, make-up removal pads, cotton puffs and
ear swabs), to home furnishings (towels, bathrobes, sheets, blankets, bedding),
children's products (toys, diapers), clothes of all kinds and styles (whether
for lounging, sports or the workplace), and even stationery and note
cards.In addition, organic cottonseed is used for animal feed, and organic cottonseed
oil is used in a variety of food products, including cookies and chips.